The
2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric was developed in conjunction with
Azure Dynamics Corporation and uses a "Force Drive"
electric powertrain. The vehicle uses a 50 kW electric motor and the
28 kWh lithium-ion battery pack -- developed in conjunction with
Johnson Controls-Saft -- allows the Transit Connect Electric to
travel up to 80 miles on a charge. Top speed for the vehicle is 75
mph, so don't expect the Transit Connect Electric to keep up with
Atlanta highway traffic anytime soon.

Ford
says that the Transit Connect Electric can be recharged from either
120V or 240V outlets.

“Transit
Connect Electric exemplifies how we are leveraging our relationships
as well as our hybrid and advanced powertrain programs to bring
energy-efficient technologies from the laboratory to the street,”
said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product
Development. “Not only is this an ideal vehicle for eco-conscious
fleet operators, it is an important part of Ford’s future.”

"These
vehicles actually are meant for specific types of customers that have
a predictable drive route, continued Praveen Cherian, Program Manager
of the Transit Connect. Most of our customers have said, look we
don't drive more than 50-60 miles on a give day and these commercial
customers like, for example, florists or a handyman, plumber, or a
Best Buy Geek Squad, utility type purposes vehicle… so we've
designed this vehicle to have a range of 80 miles on a full state of
charge."

Even
with a large lithium-ion battery packed into the Transit Connect
Electric's compact frame, the 181-inch vehicle still has 135 cu-ft of
cargo space which is almost as much as a Chevrolet Suburban.

Ford
has not announced pricing for the Transit Connect Electric yet, but
do expect to pay a premium for the luxury of not having to worry
about using gasoline anymore. The base price of a standard Transit
Connect is $20,780, so let's hope that Ford can keep the price of the
Transit Connect Electric below $30,000.

Following
the launch of the Transit Connect Electric, Ford says that it will
also launch an all-electric version of its next
generation Focus next year.

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